The Mall
by LadyAlece
Summary: Bella Runs into Alice at the mall. she meets her again in school, two weeks later, and things progress from there. i know the summary sucks, but please read and review. rating may change later.
1. Chapter 1

The Mall

CHAPTER 1 BellaPOV

I was wandering through the Seattle mall, wondering how much clothes I could really get for a hundred bucks. Not many, I knew, but I needed as many as I could get. My current wardrobe consisted of clothes fit only for warm, dry weather. Of course, that wouldn't be suitable for Forks, Washington, a place where it seemed to never stop raining and was warmest at bout sixty degrees, and even that was lucky. I sighed as I pulled out a long-sleeve shirt at the cheapest store in the mall, and glimpsed he price tag; it said $17.00. That was almost a fifth of my money. I groaned, when I saw the rest of the surrounding tags read the same.

"Something wrong?" a soft, musical voice asked.

"No. No, I'm fine," I said. My tone clearly told her otherwise.

"Hardly," the voice said again as a stunning, pixie-looking girl came around the other side of the rack I was by. She was short, about 4'10", had short spiky black hair, had skin paler than the purest snow, her eyes were a molten gold, and moved so gracefully it looked as if she were dancing every time she moved. She completely stunned me. When I looked in to her eyes, I seemed unable to lie to her.

"I'm beginning to think I'm going to be starting school this year with absolutely no clothes," I told her, not knowing why I had just told this beautiful stranger my problem.

"That would be interesting," she said laughing. Her laugh sounded like tinkling bells. "Why is it that you won't have clothes?"

"I don't have enough money to buy more than three shirts and two pairs of pants," I answered, still not knowing why I was telling her this. I didn't even know her name.

"I'll buy them," she said brightly. I looked at her shocked. She seemed rather surprised herself.

"No, I couldn't accept that. I can't let you do that," I mumbled, embarrassed. I didn't want her money.

"It's okay. I have more than enough money, and I love spending it, especially on clothes. I even love the mall so much I can't leave. That's why I have this job. I don't need the money," she insisted. What's up with this beautiful, generous stranger?

"I don't even know you name," I don't know why I was arguing with her. I should just shut up and accept luck where it comes.

"I'm Alice. Alice Cullen," she told me, holding out a tiny hand. I took it and shook. I almost gasped at the icy feeling of her skin, but managed not to.

"I'm Bella. Bella Swann," I replied, grudgingly letting go of her small, cold, hard hand. It felt like a rock draped in velvet, then jammed into the freezer.

"Come on. Let's get you some clothes," she said tightening her grip on my hand and dragging me off. I was surprised at her strength; she was just so _tiny_.

A few hours later I left the store, arms full of bags, and my hundred bucks still in pocket. I kicked myself though for not getting Alice's number at least. It would have made it easier to pay her back, because that's what I planned to do. Also, the thought of never seeing, or hearing from her again made me sad. I don't know why but it does. When I arrive home, Charlie doesn't ask how I managed to get so many clothes for a hundred dollars, but that's because he's too interested in some basketball game. I quickly hide the clothes in my room. I fall back in my bed, and replay my day in my head, smiling and laughing out loud often at something funny Alice did or said. I think I smiled just thinking of Alice.

AlicePOV

I was bored. There wasn't anything to do at the house so I did my favorite thing, I went to the mall. The mall is my heaven on earth. I love shopping, and the mall is the best place to do so. When I was done shopping, I still didn't want to go home. The others had gone hunting, and I didn't want to be home by myself. I got a job, for lack of anything better to do. I got a job at the cheap store, so no one I knew would see me working. Not that I don't like to work but in order to keep up the human façade I needed to pretend to care bout my reputation.

As I was walking around the store, waiting for someone to need me, I heard someone sigh, a ruffle of clothes, then a groan.

"Something wrong?" I ask whoever had groaned.

"No. No, I'm fine," a sweet voice answers, but the tone says something different than the words.

"Hardly," I disagree as I come around the corner, and find myself face-to-face with a gorgeous girl, about my 'age.' She has soft brown curls framing her pale, almost translucent, skin, and chocolate colored eyes that were very expressive. She was simply breath-taking. I didn't realize it, but I must have been using the power of my eyes, because her next answer was completely honest. I could hear the truth in her tone.

"I'm beginning to think I'm going to be starting school this year with absolutely no clothes," she told me. '_She's looking for school clothes here?!_' was the first thought that ran through my mind. The next thing was that I pictured that; her arriving at school naked. I had a pretty even amount of lust (for some strange reason) and the urge to laugh. I suppressed the first as I replied.

"That would be interesting," I said, laughing. I see something strange, and unidentifiable flash through those expressive eyes of hers. Before suddenly it was gone. "Why is it that you won't have any clothes?"

"I only have enough money to buy three shirts and two pairs of

pants," she told me the truth again, though I could tell she didn't know why.

"I'll buy them," I said brightly, surprising both her and myself.

"No, I couldn't accept that. I can't let you do that," she protested. I could tell she was proud. Most people would have just accepted. I was intrigued by her actions. Hell, to be totally honest, I'm intrigued by _her_.

"It's okay, I have more than enough money and I love spending it, especially on clothes. I even love the mall so much I can't leave. That's why I have this job. I don't need the money,' I assured her. I still didn't know why I was doing this.

"I don't even know your name," her argument was weak, and I could see her resolve wavering.

"I'm Alice. Alice Cullen," I said as I extended my hand. She took it and shook lightly before stating her name.

"I'm Bella. Bella Swann," she said and let go of my hand rather reluctantly.

"Come on. Let's get you some clothes," I said grabbing her hand again, slightly tighter, and pulling her off.

Several hours later, I drove off with a few hundred dollars less than when I had left, but that wasn't unusual, so no one would say anything. When I reached the house, I saw that everyone is back, and quickly diverted my thoughts from Bella, lest Edward find out. I wanted so bad to replay the day in my head, but I couldn't risk it.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to everyone who put this story on story alert. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.

CHAPTER 2 BellaPOV

TWO WEEKS LATER

I was starting at Forks High School that morning. I hadn't been up long before the dread had caused my stomach to feel as if it were made of lead. I knew that day was going to mean lots of attention, and I hate attention, just like every other clumsy person. I race down the stairs, knowing I'm not going to be able to eat anything, but going into the kitchen anyway. I collapsed into one of the mismatched chairs. I sat there for a moment before I saw a piece of paper lying on the table. I went to throw it away, but before I could, I noticed my name. I looked closer at the paper. It read:

_Bells,_

_Enjoy your first day at school. I had to leave early for work, and I'm sorry. Hope you have a good day, and make lots of friends._

_Good luck,_

_Your dad, Charlie_

I smiled. My dad never was good at expressing his feelings, and the fact that he tried so had touches me. I blink back tears, and glance at my watch. '_Oh crap!_' is the only thought that ran through my head when I saw the late time. I only had twenty minutes to get to school, and find my class.

I made it to the school quicker than I usually would have by pushing my truck as fast as it would go. I jumped out and started searching for the English room. I found it just before the bell rang. I knew once the kids learned my name they would be amazed. I'm the police chief's daughter, finally coming home after many years. Just great, like they need any more reason to give me attention.

I walked in and looked for a seat. '_At least I'm not starting in the middle of the school year, that would make it so much worse_,' I thought as I sat down. I could feel the gazes on me, and I found myself wishing I had chose a seat in the back. It was too late, though, so I focused my attention on the teacher. He stared, when he got to my name. I cleared my throat, after having said here, and he still didn't move on. Finally, he did. I sighed, and hoped this wasn't how the whole day was going to be. The rest of the class passed uneventfully. I was about to walk out the door when I heard a male voice calling to me. I turned around to find a tall, dark-haired boy with acne problems standing in front of me.

"Hi, I'm Eric. You're Isabella right?" He introduced himself.

"Bella," was all I replied.

"Do you need help finding your next class?" he asked. He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.

"Sure," I said.

"What class do you have next?," he asked, sounding happy that he had got a half-way positive answer from me.

"History," I told him. He led me to class, chattering a little as we went. The rest of the day, up until lunch, was similar. I made many 'friends' including a girl named Jessica, and a boy named Mike. I ate lunch a table full of my 'friends.'

Upon entering the cafeteria I let my eyes sweep it. They stopped at a table of two beautiful, pale people. When I saw them, I thought of Alice. I hadn't seen her in two weeks, but she had never left my mind. I was even wearing clothes she had bought me. I reluctantly continued through the lunch line, when prompted by the person behind me. I followed Jessica over to the table where all of my 'friends' sat.

"Who are they?" I ask her, nodding towards the pale couple.

"Those are the Cullens," she informed me. I was shocked at the last name, but convinced myself it was just a coincidence. "The blond girl's name is Rosalie Hale, the big guy's name is Emmett Cullen, and there's usually another, a girl named Alice Cullen," and it was at that moment that I saw _her_. She was walking toward Rosalie and Emmett's table. My heart thundered in my chest as I saw her again. It felt longer than two weeks since I had laid eyes on her pixie face.

"Hello, earth to Bella. Why are you staring at Alice like that?" Jessica's voice broke into my thoughts and memories. As if she had been called, Alice looked up to my table at that moment. Our eyes locked, and she dropped her tray. She caught it before it the ground, turned, and hurried off to the table where her 'family' was. I saw her put her tray down, say something to the people sitting there, and turn to walk back over to my table.

"Bella!" she squealed when she got next to me.

"Alice!" I squealed back. I stood up, and she wrapped her arms around me. I hugged back, but my brain seemed to freeze.

"I can't believe it. What are you doing here?" she asked when she let go of me. I noticed people were staring at us.

"I go to school here now," I told her.

"What, are you stalking me?" she asked in mocking tones.

"Sure am," I joke back.

"Well, then you'd better have lunch with me, otherwise you'd be slacking on your stalker duties," She told me, grabbing my tray and heading for an empty table in the corner. I followed behind without protest. It seemed I couldn't say no to Alice, but I didn't want to either.

"What are you really doing here?" Alice asks, sliding into a booth on one side of the table, and slid my tray across to the other (she had picked hers up from the other table).

"You really haven't figured it out yet have you?" I asked her, when I slid into the bench on the same side of the booth as my tray.

"Figured what out?" she asked, pouting a little. It looked like she wasn't used to not knowing everything.

"I'm Chief Swann's daughter," I said simply. I saw a look of shock cross her face, and I could bet that it didn't do so often.

"Really? No way!" was her response.

"Really. My mom moved out with me when I was six months old. I used to come back every summer, but stopped a few years back. What about you? I've never seen you on one of my trips before. I would've remembered," I said, interested I her story.

"My family and I-" she began, but was cut off by the bell that signaled it was time to go to class. "How 'bout this," she begins hurriedly. I'll come over to your house later, and we can talk about it then. Okay?"

"Okay," I agree, delighted at the thought of Alice in my house. I rushed off to class, trying not to be late. I make it just in time. I take the seat Jessica saved for me. I could see her bursting to say what she wanted to. I was counting on the class to give me time to try to make up an excuse, but, no, the teacher gives us a free day, and tells all we're free to do whatever we want, and chat.

"What was that whole Alice thing about?" she asks right after the teacher frees us for talking.

"I was just talking to her," I tell her calmly, hoping it will help calm her. It doesn't.

"That's just it, Bella. She doesn't talk to anyone. None of the Cullens do," Jessica said, irritated that I wasn't getting her point.

"I've met her before, and we were talking then. I guess she was excited to see me again," I said, starting to feel uncomfortable.

'Where'd you meet her?" I wish she would stop with the twenty questions.

"The mall!" I finally let some of my anger seep through. My voice and the look on my face keep her from making anymore inquiries.

"Never mind, then," Jess said and I could tell she was upset.

"I'm sorry, Jess, I shouldn't have snapped," I apologized.

"It's okay, it's just that the Cullens don't talk to _anybody,_" she explained sounding a little hurt, all the same.

"Really? She came up to me, at the mall, and again today, and I think she kinda just invite herself to my house tonight," I said.

"_What?_" Jess asked, bewildered.

"We were talking, and the bell rang, so she said she'd come to my house later, and I guess I agreed," I was starting to get sick of her surprise. Did she think I wasn't capable of having more friends than just her. Even if she isn't really my friend, and technically neither is Alice.

"That's weird. You so have to call me later, and tell me what happens," Jessica enthused, handing me a piece of paper. The bell rang at that moment, and kept me from replying.

My next class was Gym. It was the class I was looking forward to the least. I trudged along to the Gym, getting there just in time to avoid being late. I walked in, and, to my surprise, saw Alice waving me over from the side of the court. Everyone was in a line on that side. '_Must be picking teams for something_,' I thought, surveying the line. I hurried over to Alice.

"Stand here," she said, shoving me in between two people, who looked rather disgruntled until they saw Alice had put me there. I didn't see the look she gave them, but it was enough to make them stop complaining.

'_How intimidating can a 4'10" pixie be?_' I wondered.

"Alright, we'll be playing dodge ball today. We will have four teams. The first two will play, then the next, the two winning teams will play and whoever wins will be the champions," explained Coach Clapp. He began going down the line counting one through four. Whatever number he said when he passed was your team. Alice and I were on the same team. I couldn't believe we were playing dodge ball. That was just my luck.

The first two teams played while Alice filled me in on some strategies for dodge ball. I didn't really think it would help me, but I let her babble at me. Mainly because I enjoyed hearing her voice. It was as if there was something magical about it. The first to teams quickly finished, team two won.

My team went to play team four. When the game started, I tried to stay in the back, but, as there were less and less people to hide behind, it became increasingly harder. I was only behind Alice because she was good. At least, that's what I told myself, but I had a nagging voice in the back of my head that was saying that I was also there to see her very hot ass. I told that voice to shut up, and was so distracted I almost got hit in the face. I had to duck quickly to avoid the ball. Alice looked at me somehow managing to catch a ball at the same time. She looked back, and took a step to the side, so that she was directly in front of me. I didn't see another ball after that. Needless to say, our team won, thanks to Alice. We were the last people standing. We had a short break before we went up against team two. I started to thank Alice, but before I could say more than "Th-" she cut me off.

"Bella, what time should I come over tonight?" I had completely forgotten about that.

"Uh… six?" I said uncertainly, so it came out as a question.

"Okay," Alice agreed brightly.

We trotted out to play, and Alice positioned herself directly in front of me, turning back to flash me a grin. The game was pretty much the same as the last: Alice protected me, we were the last two standing, we won.

The class ended, and with it, the school day. There was a mass of students, flowing towards the doors, and I lost Alice in them. I went to my truck, head spinning, filled with thoughts of her. I went home, and rushed up the stairs to get ready for _her_ visit.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Alice's POV

The first day of school, again. My family, and I had moved from Alaska to Forks two years before. Well, all of my family except Jasper and Edward. Jasper was my mate for a few years, but then we met the Cullen clan. He saw Edward, and it all meant nothing to him. He ran to Edward and kissed him. They've been together ever since. They're on another honeymoon now. They'd left the day before, and probably wouldn't be back for a year or two.

I sat through my morning classes, not hearing anything. Instead I thought of Bella, which was what I'd been doing ever since Edward and Jasper had left, no longer fearing Edward's mind reading, or Jaspers feeling sensing. I regretted not getting her number, but I knew it was better that way. I had never felt so drawn to a human before.

Before I knew it , my thoughts of Bella got me through to lunch. I was a little late, though, because I had stayed a little after the bell, daydreaming of Bella, of course. I entered the lunch room, keeping my head down, lost in my last daydream. In it I had run into Bella and she had kissed me. No idea what _that_ was about. I got my tray, and headed over to sit with Emmett and Rosalie. I was getting tired of just being near them, they could get a little graphic sometimes, but couldn't help it.

I heard my name, and looked up. At first I thought I was still daydreaming, then I realized I wasn't. Bella was really sitting in the lunch room. Here in Forks. At my school. Looking at me.

I sat my tray down at Rose an Em's table.

"I have to do something," was all I whispered. I rushed over to her table. "Bella!" I squealed.

"Alice!" she squealed back, standing. I wrapped her in a hug. I don't know why but I did. She hugged back. That surprised me, but also made my long-dead heart leap in joy.

"I can't believe it. What are you doing here?" I asked when I let go of her. People were staring at us, of course. My family never talked to anyone, so this was strange.

"I go to school here now," she informed me. That much was obvious, but I didn't point that out. Instead, I decided to joke with her.

"What, are you stalking me?" I asked mockingly.

"Sure am," she joked back at me. She smiled and I had a strange feeling in my chest.

"Well, then you'd better have lunch with me, otherwise you'd be slacking on your stalker duties," Why did I just say that? Am I really that stupid? I grabbed her tray (I already saw that she didn't have a problem sitting with me), picked up mine as I passed my table (I told Rose and Em that I was having lunch with a friend. They looked incredulous), and went to an empty table in the corner. Bella sat across from me.

"What are you really doing here?" I asked.

"You really haven't figured it out?" she asked, surprised. I pouted for a moment before answering. Since I can see the future, I've never been used to not knowing things.

"Figured what out?" I asked, still pouting.

"I'm Chief Swann's daughter," she said simply. I was not expecting that. It shocked me, which isn't the easiest thing to do.

"Really? No way!" I replied. I should have seen this coming.

"Really. My mom moved out with me when I was six months old. I used to come back every summer, but stopped a few years back. What about you? I've never seen you on one of my trips before. I would've remembered," she told me. I was glad she would've remembered me, but I had to squish my joy and reply.

"My family and I-" I began, but the stupid bell cut me off. "How 'bout this: I'll come over to your house, and we'll talk about it then. Okay?" I didn't look for her answer, because I wanted to hear it for real the first time in real life not a vision. '_Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes_,' I chanted in my head.

"Okay," she said, and in that moment I had a feeling that she couldn't say no to me. I skipped off to class (yes, I skipped. I was very happy), and smiled my way through it. I went off to my next class, even happier, having had a vision that Bells would be in Gym with me. '_Oh great I'm already calling her Bells instead of Bella. It's stupid to jump in this fast, slow down!_' I chided myself. I walked in and took my place in the line, and waited for Bella. I was careful to think of her using her name and not that stupid nickname. She came in the room, and I waved enthusiastically. She came over and I placed her where she needed to be, so we would be on the same team.

"Stand here," I instructed, shoving her between two people. They looked disgruntled and started mumbling complaints. I had a vision of on of them pushing Bella out of the line, and her falling. When she fell she broke her arm. At the vision I felt a surge of pure fury. I let that show on my face and looked at them. They cringed and immediately stopped complaining. I went back to where I had been standing, and waited to be sorted into teams. Bella and I were sorted onto the same team just like I knew we would be.

When Coach Clapp announced we would be playing dodge ball her already pale face got even paler. '_Whoa. I didn't think that was possible_,' I thought as I witnessed the change.

The first team began playing, and I gave Bella some tips on dodge ball. The game finished quickly as the humans don't have good reflexes. I briefly contemplated what it would be like if vampires were to play dodge ball. I quickly dropped the thought, though, so I could concentrate on the game. Not like I need all my concentration for the game, but I needed to keep my mind from wandering to the girl behind me (Bella), because if I let my mind wander my whole my mind would be sucked to her, and I would lose this game. Normally, I wouldn't care whether I won or lost, but I was kind of showing off for Bella. I don't know why, but I felt like it.

I was doing great. It was only a few minutes in, and I had already got half of the other team out, when I heard a sudden whoosh of air a few feet behind and to the left of me. I turned around, and saw Bella squatted down, and a ball behind her. It looked like she had ducked, and barely missed being hit in the head by a ball. I smiled, and, very carefully, repositioned myself so that I was directly in front of her. I squared my feet, and began the slaughter of the people, who had tried to hurt my Bella. '_Did you hear that? Your Bella?_' asked the little voice in the back of my head. I told it to shut up, and threw the next ball a little too hard; I heard it knock the wind out of the boy it hit. He was the last opponent.

We had a short break before we had to play again, so I decided to go talk to Bella some more. I had a vision that she was going to thank me for protecting her. I didn't want her to so when she tried I interrupted her, asking the first thing that popped into my head.

"Th-" she began.

"Bella, what time should I come over tonight?" the look on her face made it look as if she'd forgotten about my visit I had planned for later. That made me kinda sad. Her next words cheered me.

"Uh… six?" she said uncertainly. The way she said it, almost as a question, was so cute. '_I did not just think that_,' I was in denial.

"Okay," I agree, trying not to sound as happy as I was, but I still sounded ecstatic.

We went off to play again. I protected Bella like before. I wasn't going to let anything hurt her. '_A little protective, are we?_' that stupid voice was starting to get annoying. '_It's normal to be protective. She's my only human friend, it wouldn't be good if she got hurt_,' I retorted. '_So now you're having conversations with yourself?_' that little voice replied coolly. I wanted to say that it started it but I didn't. Instead I just didn't reply at all. We won the game again, and Bella didn't get hurt. The bell rang and I hurried out, so I could do all the necessary preparations to go to Bella's house. Regrettably, I forgot to say good-bye before I left.

"What was up with the whole lunch thing?" Rosalie demanded the second I got in the car. She can really be a bitch sometimes.

"I saw a friend and went to have lunch with them," I told her.

"What friend? We don't have any friends!" Rose continued as Em began the drive home. The long, fast drive home.

"I do!" I was so sick of her already, and she wasn't doing much to help her case.

"How? When? Why? Who?" She asked, flinging questions at me.

"I met her at the mall weeks ago, she didn't have any money for clothes and I felt sorry for her," I knew I was avoiding the most important question. _Who. _I had hoped that Rosalie wouldn't notice, but, of course she had to.

"Who is it?" her tone was exited. She had definitely noticed that I had avoided the question.

"Isabella Swann. She prefers to be called Bella," I said sheepishly.

"Swann. Why does that name sound familiar? Is she related to Chief Swann?!" Rosalie wasn't a dumb blond, no matter how much I wanted her to be at that moment.

"She's his daughter," I said in a whisper that no human would have a chance to hear.

"He has a daughter?! You know being involved with a human is bad news, especially one that is related to the chief of police!" Rosalie exploded (figuratively, of course). I couldn't believe she thought of the gossip possibilities, before she told me off. Then again she _was_ Rosalie, and it _was_ major news that the police chief had a daughter that no one knew about.

"Yes, he has a daughter, and I know it's not good to e involved with humans, but you should have seen her! She had a hundred dollars, and was trying to find _clothes_ for _school_!" I told Rosalie.

"So what? She's _human_! Who cares if she didn't have enough money?" Rose could be so stuck-up sometimes.

"I care! There was no way I could let _anyone_ do that, plus she was so pitiful. I didn't know she would be coming to school here! I just walked in the cafeteria and _bam_ there she was," I said grumpily as we got out of the car, and headed into the house. Luckily, Carlisle and Esme weren't home yet, so I didn't have to explain my weird draw to Bella. I hurried to get ready. I went hunting, first, so I wouldn't be as tempted by Bella's blood. I took down several deer before returning home. It was already four thirty. '_I only have an hour and a half , before I'm due at Bella's!_' I freaked when I saw the time, though, of course, with my vampire speed that should be long enough to get ready, but I didn't know what to wear! Rose must have seen the panicked look on my face.

"What's wrong? Did you have a vision? Alice!" Rosalie asked, shaking me.

"Nothing's wrong. I haven't had a vision," I assured her, wishing she would hurry up and let me go. I had to get ready! It was already almost five, and I had to be there at six.

"Why did you look terrified then? Why did you go hunting, again? You went three days ago," Rose said, looking at me like I was crazy.

"I didn't look terrified, now let me go, Rose," I said, attempting to get around her, I could've if I'd wanted to, but I was too distracted by the ever passing time. It was five o'clock already.

"Whatever," she said, and released her grip from my shoulders. I was gone, up the stairs, the moment she let go of my shoulders. I took a shower in about two minutes (yay for vampire speed), and rushed to my closet. My closet was actually larger than most people's bedrooms. I quickly prowled through the aisles of racks, looking for something to wear. I didn't want to overdo it, so I just wore a black tee (it complimented my skin nicely), and some very artfully faded and torn jeans.

"There," I said out loud, surveying my outfit in the mirror I had that ran the length of one of the walls. I hurried out and glanced at the nearest clock. It was five thirty, just long enough for me to get to her house with about five minutes to spare in case anything got in my way, or slowed me down.

"Where are you going?" Rose asked, when I came down and grabbed my keys to my yellow Porsche.

"Out," I said, and then I was gone. I rushed out the door, got in my car, and raced off. I got to Bella's house exactly three minutes before I was due there. I got out, and rang the doorbell.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I was going to make you wit, but my best friend begged me to post this, so, here:

CHAPTER 4 BellaPOV

I went up and took a shower. When I got out, I looked at the clock. It was five thirty. I only had half an hour before Alice was due to get here. At first I couldn't decide what to wear, but in the end I decided to put on one of the outfits she had bought for me.

I heard the doorbell ring at three minutes to six. I smoothed my clothes, and ran my fingers through my hair, again, while I was running down the stairs. I tripped on the last stair and fell down. I hoped she hadn't heard that. I jumped back up to my feet.

"Are you all right?" her concerned voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure? I heard a loud thump," she still sounded concerned.

"I'm fine. I just tripped," I said blushing, and hoping that the blush would go away before I opened the door. I winced, and let out a quiet hiss of pain, when I put my hand on the door knob. I glanced at my palm, and saw little scrapes that must have happened when I fell. I frowned, then opened the door for Alice. She looked so wonderful! I loved her outfit!

"Hey. You look good," I blurted. I had only meant to say 'hey'.

"Thanks. So do you," she said, and I blushed a deep red. I thought I saw her jaw tense, but, when I glanced at it again it was normal, so I dismissed it to my overactive imagination.

"Um…" I didn't know what to say then.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Alice suggested. I was

starving, too. I hadn't ate much at lunch, and I hadn't had breakfast.

"Okay. Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"I know this place. Come on," she said.

I stepped out of the house, locked it, and turned. Alice hadn't moved, and I found my body practically pressed against hers. I tried not to think, but I wanted so bad to press my lips on hers. I leaned in slightly, and she turned. Good thing, too, that was close. I don't know what came over me. I followed her, until I spotted her car.

"Are you coming?" Alice asked, turning back to me.

"Yeah," I said, ungluing my feet from the ground. "Your car is…" I trailed off, lost for words.

"I know," she smiled her dazzling smile, and opened the passenger door for me. I smiled back, and climbed in the car. She got in the other side.

"Why did your mom leave your dad?" Alice asked.

"She didn't like Forks," I replied.

"And why have you suddenly decided to live with your dad, after all these years?" was she going to do the whole twenty questions thing?

"My mom remarried."

"And you didn't like him?" she guessed. Yup, twenty questions it seemed.

"No, Phil's fine, but he plays minor league ball, and moves around a lot. My mom missed him when he was gone, so I came here. Now she can go with him."

"Okay. Do you like it here?" what was with her and all the questions?

"Yeah," I replied, then figured it was my turn for a question. "Why did your family move here?"

"Carlisle got a job at the hospital," she told me.

"Why here, though? From what Charlie says, he's god enough for any hospital," I replied.

"Esme wanted a small town, and we ended up here," she explained. I thought she was hiding something, but I wasn't going to push the matter. I glanced over at her, though, to see if her face held any signs of deception. I saw the speedometer.

"Are you crazy?!" I asked. She looked at me as if she thought I was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked.

"Look at the speedometer! Do you realize how fast you're going?" I asked, incredulous.

"What do you mean? I always go this fast," she said calmly.

"You _always_ go a hundred and ten miles an hour?" I wasn't going to calm down, until she slowed to an acceptable speed. '_Why did I agree to this? I barely know her. For all I know she could be trying to kill me_,' I wondered. That little voice in the back of my head replied, '_You agreed to this, because you think she's hot_,' and to that I replied, '_I don't! She's a girl for Christ's sake!_'

"Yes. All my family does. We have a thing for going fast," she said, not slowing down.

"Well, I don't have a thing for getting wrapped around a tree, so could you please slow down?" I pleaded, taking a stab at humor. Alice giggled, and slowed down. "Thanks," I said after she had slowed down.

"No problem," she replied, and turned to grin at me.

"You going to tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"Nope. You're going to have to wait and see," she said in a taunting tone. I grimaced.

"Come on. Please?" I begged. I couldn't believe I was begging her. I couldn't believe I was in a car with her, going who knows where. I had just met her two weeks ago, didn't see her for two weeks, ran into her at school today, and now I'm in a car with her.

"Nope. We're almost there; you'll see in a minute," she refused.

"Fine," I gave up.

"Here we are," she told me. I looked out my window. We were at an Italian restaurant in Port Angles. She climbed out, and opened my door, before I could. I grinned, and she held out her hand to help me out. Her hand was as cold as the other time I'd touched it. We walked in to the restaurant, and Alice walked over to the check in thing. I couldn't remember what it was called for the life of me. I heard her mumble something about a private table, and I'm not sure, but I think I saw her hand the maitre 'd some money. After a moment the maitre 'd walked over, followed by Alice, and

said, "Follow me," and walked off. Alice and I followed. She lead us to a room in the back, which was completely empty. She told us to pick a table, so Alice sat down at the nearest table.

"Your waitress will be in shortly," she informed us then left. I sat across from Alice. I paused before I did, though, because I couldn't decide whether I wanted to sit next to her, and be close, or sit across from her, where I could see her. I settled for the second option.

"Bella?" said Alice.

"Yeah?" I wondered where this conversation was going to end up. Alice looked rather nervous.

"I'm not really hungry, but you should eat," she said. I didn't think that was what she had planned on saying.

"You're not hungry? You didn't eat lunch either. Do you ever eat?" I asked. It was as if she was afraid to eat.

"I ate a snack when I got home from school. I don't really have a very big appetite," she replied.

"If you weren't hungry then why did we come here?" I asked.

"I knew you were," she replied simply.

"How did you know I was hungry?" I asked suspiciously.

"You also didn't eat lunch," she replied.

I gazed at her suspiciously, but decided to let it drop. "Alice-" I began.

"I'm a vampire," she blurted. That really threw me off.

"_What?!_" '_Great. She's gone nuts_,' I thought.

"I'm a vampire. That's why you never see me eat," she said calmly. She was obviously off her rocker.

"Uh… okay," definitely a crazy person.

"Think about it Bella. Why else would my skin be so cold? I be so pale? My and my family's eyes all be this gold color?" she was really going to stick to this vampire thing, wasn't she?

"I dunno," I replied. Everything she said had been very odd, but she wasn't a vampire, was she?

She grabbed my hand and placed it on her chest. I savored the moment, but it was all so strange. "Bella, there's something missing," Alice prodded me. At first I didn't understand.

I gasped. "You don't have a heartbeat?!" that was very weird. How could she not have a heartbeat. I was really getting freaked out. Several thoughts swirled around in my head, including, but not limited to: '_Why is she telling me this?_' '_If what she's saying is true then is she going to eat me?_' '_Oh, god, she is going to eat me isn't she?!_' and '_She's still so beautiful_'. I don't know what's up with that last one, but the others make sense. The panic must have shown on my face.

"Don't worry! I won't hurt you! We, my family and I, are different than other vampires. Sit down, and I will tell you,' she said in an attempt to calm me. I sat down, more because I thought my legs were going to give out, than anything, but…

"I promise, I'll explain in a minute, but the waitress is coming, and this is not exactly the best conversation for anyone to over hear," she said, and a moment later the waitress appeared. Under normal circumstances, she would have been pretty, but compared to Alice she was just plain. She must have noticed this fact, for she looked very displeased.

"What do you want to drink?" she didn't even try to sound nice, or even happy. Alice looked like she was going to make a rather rude comment, so I answered.

"A coke," I told the unhappy waitress.

Alice glanced at me. "Two cokes," she said, and I was glad she left it at that. The waitress disappeared.

"Now, talk," I demanded.

"Rather impatient, are we?" she asked.

I scowled. "Why did you order a coke?"

"It would have looked odd if I hadn't," Alice explained.

"Tell me more about… vampires," I told her. I wasn't feeling very patient at he moment.

"Well my family and I don't drink human blood, like most vampires do. We drink from animals. I know there's probably a lot more that you want to know so just ask," she said,. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about her eating me.

I started with the most basic question. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she answered a little too quickly.

"And how long have you been seventeen?" I waited, knowing the answer couldn't be good.

"I don't know exactly, about a hundred years," she said sheepishly. '_A hundred years? I had expected bad but that wasn't neatly as bad as what I had imagined_,' I thought.

"Who is your whole family?" I asked, knowing that I hadn't phrased the question properly.

"I'll tell you in a second. The waitress will be in here with our drinks in thirty seconds," she said quickly. '_How does she know these things?_' I wondered, making a mental note to ask her. The waitress appeared a moment later with two drinks.

"Here," she grunted, then, "What do you want to eat?"

Alice opened her mouth, and, again, I thought she was going to make a rude comment, but instead she ordered some ravioli for us both. The waitress left again, and Alice decided to answer my previous question.

"Carlisle is rather like our father figure, has been the one to change most of us, and is roughly three hundred and sixty years old. Carlisle changed my brother Edward first, he's not really my brother, and he is roughly a hundred years old. Next he changed his wife Esme, she is like a mother to us, and is between eighty and ninety years old. Then he changed my sister Rosalie, she is not mush younger than Esme, and is usually really annoying. Then Rosalie found Emmett, and Carlisle changed him too, Emmett is like another brother, and he and Rose are happily in love. Jasper and I were not changed by Carlisle, we both came to him seeking a better lifestyle, one where we didn't have to kill to survive. Jasper was changed back during the Civil War, he was my partner for a few months, but when he met Edward, he couldn't be with me anymore, he and Ed have been in love since the day they met. I don't have any memory of my human life, I don't know who changed me, and I was in an insane asylum," she said al of that rather quickly, but I managed to understand her. I felt a little overwhelmed.

"Why were you in an insane asylum, and how did you know when the waitress was going to get here?" I managed to ask.

"The answer to both is the same: I have visions of the future," she said, all calm, like this wasn't absolutely huge!

"Do all vampires see the future or just you?" I asked, in awe that I was really having this conversation.

"Only me, but a lot of vampires have special powers. Out of my family it's me, Edward, and Jasper. Edward can read minds, and Jasper can feel and influence the emotions around him.

"Wow," was all I managed to say, but it didn't matter, because the waitress appeared, then, with a tray laden with our food. I feeling that Alice had timed her last sentence so that she would be finished before the waitress arrived. She sat our food down, and left without a word.

"I understand that this is probably a little overwhelming," Alice said after I sat there, silent, for a few moments.

"Sorry. I was just trying to take this all in," I said, shaking my head. That was an absolute lie, but I don't think she noticed. I had really caught a glimpse of her chest, when she had bent down to pick-up the fork I had accidentally dropped (me being clumsy, as usual), and the image had completely took over my brain.

"It's okay. It's getting late. I should drive you home, we don't want Charlie to worry, do we?" she asked standing. She put some money on the table.

"Oh, crap, Charlie! I completely forgot about him. I didn't even leave a note. He'll be so worried," I said. I _had_ completely forgot about Charlie when Alice had asked me to go to dinner. I had been planning on staying home, so I hadn't wrote him a note. I was going to be in so much trouble.

"Here, use my cell. Call him and tell him you were out with a friend, but please don't mention that friend is a vampire. In fact, could you not mention that to anyone?" Alice said, and handed me an expensive looking cell phone, she had pulled out of her pocket. She then led me to her car while I dialed. She held the door open for me again. I smiled, but didn't say anything, because the phone was ringing.

"Hello?" Charlie picked up on the third ring.

"Dad?" I figured it was better to call him that than Charlie, as I was probably already in trouble.

"Bella! Where have you been?" he demanded. I cringed. Alice gave me a meaningful look. I had no doubt in my mind that she could hear everything Charlie was saying.

"I was out with a friend," I said, hoping he wouldn't question me further, but, of course, he did.

"Who? You just moved here, Bells, how do you already have friends?" Charlie asked.

"Alice Cullen. I met her when I was at the mall, shopping for clothes, and she was at school today. We got talking, and hungry, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. I'm on my way home now," I told him.

"Well, as long as you're not out with boys, I guess it's okay, but next time leave me a note, or something," Charlie mumbled.

"Okay, Dad. Love ya." I said, knowing that the love thing would make him want to get off the phone.

"Love you, too. Bye," Charlie was mumbling, again, and before I could say bye he had already hung up.

Alice laughed. "Sounds like your dad has problems admitting his emotions."

"Yeah, we're pretty alike that way," I replied, yawning. It had been a long day. Alice didn't say anything, but a strange look came across her face. We rode the rest of the way in silence.

"Night," Alice said, wrapping her cold arms around me, when we got to my house. It didn't feel strange to have her face so close to my neck, even after having just found out she was a vampire, oddly enough, it felt kind of nice.

"Night," I replied, and she let her arms drop. I went to get out of the car, but somehow Alice had gone from sitting next to me to holding my door open in about two seconds. I accepted her hand, as always, and smiled. She returned my smile, before she let go of my hand, shut my door, and went back to the driver's side. I walked up to the house. When I was in front of the door, I turned, and waved to Alice. She waved back, then sped off. I walked into the house, greeted Charlie, yawned, and excused myself to bed. I went into the bathroom, washed my face, and put my nightgown on. It was rather old, so it was short, and very thin, almost see through, but it didn't matter because no one was going to see it. I walked back into my room, then stopped dead upon seeing my bed with someone already sitting on it.

"Alice! How did you get in here?" I asked, not knowing how she could have got past Charlie.

"Your window," she informed me.

"My window?! Alice, my room is on the second floor!" there was no possible way she could have got in through my win- oh, right, vampire. Of course she could get in my window. "Never mind," I said after that thought occurred to me. "How did you get here though? I thought you drove off."

"I did. I went home, ditched my car, and ran back," Alice said, still sitting on my bed.

"You ran? Why did you come back?" I asked, knowing the first question was pointless. Of course, she could run that far that fast, she's a super powerful, super strong vampire. How do I keep forgetting that?

"I forgot something," she said, standing up and taking step toward me.

"You did?" I ask racking my brain for what she could have forgot. She took another step closer.

"Yes." Another step.

"What?" I still couldn't figure it out. She took one more step and was only inches away.

"This," she said and the next thing I knew, her icy lips were pressed against mine. I leaned into the kiss, my breathing hitching.

Alice's lips were suddenly gone from mine. "Sleep well, my Bella," I hear, and when I opened my eyes, she was gone. I climbed shakily into bed and tried to go to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 AlicePOV

I heard Bella smooth her clothes, and hurry down the stairs. Well, hurry for her. She must have tripped, because I heard a loud thump.

"Are you alright?" I asked, hoping she wasn't hurt. I was supposed to protect her, and, so far, I wasn't doing a very good job.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said back. I thought I heard the sounds of her getting back up, but that could have been my imagination.

"Are you sure? I heard a loud thump," I asked again, trying to find out whether she had fallen or not.

"I'm fine. I just tripped," she said, and from the increased scent of her blood, I think she blushed. I heard her approach the door, and I was suddenly nervous. I had no reason to be, but I was. That confused me, but before I could dwell on it for more than a moment, I heard the rattle of a doorknob, and a hiss of pain. Before I could ask what was wrong, Bella had opened the door. She looked stunning! She was even wearing an Outfit that I had bought her. It was even the outfit I had said I liked most.

"Hey. You look good," she said. Aww, she thought I looked good. If I could have blushed, I would have.

"Thanks. So do you ,"I complimented her back. She blushed bright crimson. I had to slam my mouth closed. '_Why does her blood have to smell so good?_' I wondered. I thought she noticed my reflex, but when she looked back I had loosened my jaw.

"Uh…" she clearly didn't know what to say next. Neither did I, so what happened next surprised me as much as her.

"Why don't we get something to eat?" I suggested.

"Okay. Where do you want to go?" she agreed.

"I know this place. Come on," I said.

She stepped out of the house, locked it, and turned. I hadn't moved, and suddenly her face was inches from mine. I wanted to kiss her, and I wanted to kill her. It was a rather strange mix of emotions. She either swayed, or leaned in, either way it broke the strange trance I'd been in. I turned, and walked toward my car. I heard her footsteps follow me for a moment, but then they stopped.

"You coming?" I asked turning back to her. She was gaping at my car.

"Yeah. You're car is…" she trailed off. I didn't blame her. There weren't very many words that could describe my car.

"I know," I said, and turned back to my car, smiling. I held the passenger door open for her. If I had learned anything from Carlisle and Esme it was manners. She smiled back, and got in. I went around to the other side. I wanted to earn more about her so I decided to ask her some questions.

"Why did your mom leave your dad?" I asked.

"She didn't like Forks," Bella replied.

"And why have you suddenly decided to live with your dad, after all these years?" I asked, trying to get as much information out of her as I could.

"My mom remarried." Bella replied as if that explained everything, unfortunately, it just made me more confused.

"And you didn't like him?" I guessed.

"No, Phil's fine, but he plays minor league ball, and moves around a lot. My mom missed him when he was gone, so I came here. Now she can go with him," Bella explained.

"Okay. Do you like it here?" I had to know. I was already developing feelings for her, and she was for me. I wouldn't trap her here if she didn't like it.

"Yeah," she replied, then decided it was her turn for a question. "Why did your family move here?"

"Carlisle got a job at the hospital," I said.

"Why here, though? From what Charlie says, he's god enough for any hospital," Bella continued to bug me about one point I wished she would just drop.

"Esme wanted a small town, and we ended up here," I said evasively. I could tell she knew I was hiding something, but she wasn't going to push the matter. She glanced over at me, and must have seen the speedometer.

"Are you crazy?!" she asked. What was with that little outburst? I looked at her like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I was confused.

"Look at the speedometer! Do you realize how fast you're going?" Bella asked, incredulous.

"What do you mean? I always go this fast," I said calmly. I didn't see the big deal. I was only going a little over a hundred mph. I usually went much faster.

"You _always_ go a hundred and ten miles an hour?" she, obviously, wasn't going to calm down, until I slowed down.

"Yes. All my family does. We have a thing for going fast," I said, not slowing down. I don't like to go slow.

"Well, I don't have a thing for getting wrapped around a tree, so could you please slow down?" she pleaded, trying to be funny. It worked. I giggled, and slowed down.

"Thanks," she said after I had slowed down.

"No problem," I replied, and turned to grin at me.

"You going to tell me where we're going?" she asked.

"Nope. You're going to have to wait and see," I said in a taunting tone. She grimaced. We were almost there, anyway. I had no clue why I was taking her out to eat when I don't eat human food. I had to be insane.

"Come on. Please?" she begged.

"Nope. We're almost there; you'll see in a minute," I refused.

"Fine," she gave up with a sigh.

"Here we are," I said as we pulled up in front of an Italian restaurant in Port Angles. I climbed out, and opened Bella's door for her. She grinned, and I held out my hand to help her out. We walked in to the restaurant, and I walked over to the check in thing. I couldn't remember what it was called for the life of me.

I mumbled, " We need a private table, please." After a moment the maitre 'd walked over to Bella, I followed her, and the maitre 'd said, "Follow me," and walked off. We followed. She lead us to a room in the back, which was completely empty. She told us to pick a table, so I sat down at the nearest table.

"Your waitress will be in shortly," she informed us then left. Bella sat across from me. She paused before she did, though.

"Bella?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she said. I was rather nervous. I had just had a vision of me telling Bella I'm a vampire.

"I'm not really hungry, but you should eat," I said. I had changed my mind right before I asked. I would tell her, but not right then.

"You're not hungry? You didn't eat lunch either. Do you ever eat?" Bella asked, as if she didn't believe me.

"I ate a snack when I got home from school. I don't really have a very big appetite," I replied. I had to struggle not to laugh at the mild term I'd used for my hunting.

"If you weren't hungry then why did we come here?" she asked.

"I knew you were," I replied simply. I knew a lot of things from my visions, but that wasn't one of them. I knew she was hungry, because, when she had been standing in the doorway, her stomach had growled.

"How did you know I was hungry?" she asked suspiciously.

"You also didn't eat lunch," I replied. It was true; she hadn't ate her lunch. We'd been busy talking.

She gazed at me suspiciously, but decided to let it drop. "Alice-" she began.

"I'm a vampire," I blurted. I had not meant to tell her that way, but it was too late. At least, I'd told her. I was kind of chickening out. I didn't want her to freak, and leave. I wouldn't be able to stand it if she left me. '_What if she thinks you're nuts and won't talk to you anymore?_' I worried to myself.

"_What?!_" '_Yep, she thinks I'm nuts_,' I thought, but I wasn't giving up that easily.

"I'm a vampire. That's why you never see me eat," I said calmly, hoping that my calm would rub off on her.

"Uh… okay," she definitely thought I a crazy person.

"Think about it Bella. Why else would my skin be so cold? I be so pale? My and my family's eyes all be this gold color?" I said trying to tell her the clues that humans usually didn't pick up on as well as the obvious.

"I dunno," I replied. Her resolve was definitely crumbling. She could see that I was making some sense.

I grabbed her hand and placed it on my chest. I tried to ignore the fact that her hand was just inches above my left breast. "Bella, there's something missing," I prodded her.

She gasped. "You don't have a heartbeat?!" She as definitely panicking.

"Don't worry! I won't hurt you! We, my family and I, are different than other vampires. Sit down, and I will tell you," I said attempting to calm her.

"I promise, I'll explain in a minute, but the waitress is coming, and this is not exactly the best conversation for anyone to over hear," I said, and a moment later the waitress appeared. Under normal circumstances, she would have been pretty, but compared to Bella, and me she was just plain. She must have noticed this fact, for she looked very displeased.

"What do you want to drink?" she didn't even try to sound nice, or even happy. My anger must have showed on my face, because Bella answered.

"A coke," she told the unhappy waitress.

I glanced at Bella. "Two cokes," I said. The waitress disappeared.

"Now, talk," she demanded.

"Rather impatient, are we?" I asked. She was being rather pushy considering I had just told I'm a vampire.

She scowled. "Why did you order a coke?"

"It would have looked odd if I hadn't," I explained.

"Tell me more about… vampires," she pushed.

"Well my family and I don't drink human blood, like most vampires do. We drink from animals. I know there's probably a lot more that you want to know so just ask," I told her.

She started with the most basic question. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," I answered quickly. I was still worried that she would find something to be too much, and run away never to talk to me again

"And how long have you been seventeen?" of course, she had to ask that.

"I don't know exactly, about a hundred years," I said sheepishly. I couldn't tell what she thought of that as she didn't say anything about it, nor did she plan to.

"Who is your whole family?" she asked. I smiled inwardly at her incorrect grammar.

"I'll tell you in a second. The waitress will be in here with our drinks in thirty seconds," I said quickly, after having had a vision of what the waitress would have done, had she walked in on our conversation. The

waitress appeared a moment later with two drinks.

"Here," she grunted, then, "What do you want to eat?"

I ordered some ravioli for us both. The waitress left again, and I decided to answer my previous question.

"Carlisle is rather like our father figure, has been the one to change most of us, and is roughly three hundred and sixty years old. Carlisle changed my brother Edward first, he's not really my brother, and he is roughly a hundred years old. Next he changed his wife Esme, she is like a mother to us, and is between eighty and ninety years old. Then he changed my sister Rosalie, she is not mush younger than Esme, and is usually really annoying. Then Rosalie found Emmett, and Carlisle changed him too, Emmett is like another brother, and he and Rose are happily in love. Jasper and I were not changed by Carlisle, we both came to him seeking a better lifestyle, one where we didn't have to kill to survive. Jasper was changed back during the Civil War, he was my partner for a few months, but when he met Edward, he couldn't be with me anymore, he and Ed have been in love since the day they met. I don't have any memory of my human life, I don't know who changed me, and I was in an insane asylum," I said rather quickly.

"Why were you in an insane asylum, and how did you know when the waitress was going to get here?" she asked me.

"The answer to both is the same: I have visions of the future," I said.

"Do all vampires see the future or just you?" she asked in an awed tone.

"Only me, but a lot of vampires have special powers. Out of my family it's me, Edward, and Jasper. Edward can read minds, and Jasper can feel and influence the emotions around him."

"Wow," she said, moments before the waitress appeared. She sat our food down, and left without a word.

"I understand that this is probably a little overwhelming," I said after Bella just sat there, silent, for a few moments.

"Sorry. I was just trying to take this all in," she said, shaking my head.

"It's okay. It's getting late. I should drive you home, we don't want Charlie to worry, do we?" I asked standing. I put plenty of money on the table.

"Oh, crap, Charlie! I completely forgot about him. I didn't even leave a note. He'll be so worried," Bella said.

"Here, use my cell. Call him and tell him you were out with a friend, but please don't mention that friend is a vampire. In fact, could you not mention that to anyone?" I said, and handed her my cell. Bella was going to be fine, Charlie wasn't going to be upset once he found out that she wasn't out with boys. '_Though, I'm much worse. He just doesn't know it_,' I thought, after having had the vision of Charlie's reaction. I then her to my car, while she dialed. I held the door open for her again. She smiled, but didn't say anything, because the phone was ringing. I could hear every sound on the other end of the phone call, as well as Bella's.

"Hello?" Charlie picked up on the third ring.

"Dad?" Bella replied.

"Bella! Where have you been?" he demanded. Bella cringed. I gave her a meaningful look, reminding her that she wasn't to mention the vampire thing.

"I was out with a friend," she said.

"Who? You just moved here, Bells, how do you already have friends?" Charlie asked.

"Alice Cullen. I met her when I was at the mall, shopping for clothes, and she was at school today. We got talking, and hungry, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. I'm on my way home now," Bella told him.

"Well, as long as you're not out with boys, I guess it's okay, but next time leave me a note, or something," Charlie mumbled.

"Okay, Dad. Love ya." Bella said, a glint in her eye that tipped me off that she was planning something.

"Love you, too. Bye," Charlie was mumbling, again, and before Bella could say bye he had already hung up. I guessed that that must have been what she was planning.

I laughed. "Sounds like your dad has problems admitting his emotions."

"Yeah, we're pretty alike that way," Bella replied, yawning. It had been a long day. I tried not to imagine anything in that sentence, but it sounded like she could be implying she had feelings for me. We rode the rest of the way in silence.

"Night," I said, wrapping my arms around her, when we got to my house. I surreptitiously inhaled her scent, while my arms were around her. She smelled _wonderful!_

"Night," she replied, and she let my arms drop. Bella started to get out of the car, but I hurried (again: yay for vampire speed) over, and held her door open. She accepted her hand, and smiled. I returned her smile, before I let go of her hand, shut her door, and went back to the driver's side. Bella walked up to the house. When she was in front of the door, she turned, and waved to me. I waved back, then sped off. I made it home in about three minutes (going about two hundred miles an hour), ditched my car (in the garage), and ran back to Bella's house. I hadn't planned to, but when I stepped out of my car, my feet seemed to pull me there. I made it back in less than I minute, and leaped up to her window. I scrambled through (gracefully!; I'm always graceful). I heard Bella in the bathroom. I smiled to myself, and sat down on her bed. I waited only a moment, before Bella appeared in her doorway. She stopped when she saw me. I immediately noticed her nightgown; it must have been old, because it was rather, short thin, and almost see through. .

"Alice! How did you get in here?" she asked. Was it not obvious? '_Hello! I'm a vampire. How do you think I got in here?_' I wanted ask, but I didn't.

"Your window," I informed her.

"My window?! Alice, my room is on the second floor!" she clearly wasn't thinking. "Never mind," she said, after a brief pause. "How did you get here though? I thought you drove off."

"I did. I went home, ditched my car, and ran back," I said.

"You ran? Why did you come back?" she asked. I ignored the first question, but answered the second.

"I forgot something," I said, standing up and taking step toward Bella. I had just had a vision, and it was rather, well, it was rather awesome.

"You did?" she asked. I took another step toward her.

"Yes." Another step.

"What?" she asked, obviously confused. I took one more step and was only inches away from Bella.

"This," I said, pressing my lips against hers. She leaned into the kiss, her breathing hitching. I was happy about that.

I pulled back. "Sleep well, my Bella," I said, and leaped out her window, before she could open her eyes.

I raced home, and made it back nearly as quick as I had made it to Bella's house. Carlisle and Esme were back. '_Just great_,' I thought, and groaned. Esme was waiting for me on the porch.

"Alice Marie Brandon, where have you been?" Esme demanded. I knew she was angry; she never used my human last name, unless I was in huge trouble.

"With a friend," I said, but I knew I was going to tell her everything.

"What friend? Was it that one named Bella, that Rose told me about?" Rose had told her about Bella? I was so going to have to kill her. Rose, not Bella.

"Yes. I was with Bella. I took her to that Italian restaurant in Port Angles," I told her, my eyes on the floor the whole time.

"You did what?" Esme asked, even though I know she heard me the first time.

"You heard me. And I told her about us. What we are," I said, a sudden feeling of courage, and recklessness washed over me. Jasper was there. I knew he was, because I knew that it had to have been him that had messed with my feelings. If Jasper was here then Edward had to be, too. '_Edward I know you're listening, but there are some things I'd rather you found out in person, so stop listening_,' I commanded him, in my head. Esme was stunned by what I had said.

"Alice! Why? Why did you do this to us?" Esme asked, sadly.

"I think- no, I am in love with her. I had to tell her! She couldn't not know," I say in a small voice. If I could cry, I probably would have right then. That was the first time I had admitted my love for Bella out loud.

Esme must have understood, because she wrapped her arms around me, and pulled me into a motherly embrace. I pulled back, after a minute, and walked into the house, to face the rest of my family. Ed and Jazz came to me first. They both smiled, and pulled me into a hug. I'd known Ed would still listen, even though I told him not to. He can't help it.

"Well, little sis, looks like we have more in common than I thought," Em said, ruffling my hair, when Ed and Jazz let me go. It only took me about three seconds to understand what he meant, then I got it. He was referring to the fact that we both liked girls. But I didn't like girls, not really. I just loved Bella. She was different, made me feel different than anyone else ever had. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, Rosalie appeared in front of me.

"How could you not tell me? And her? Bella Swann? Couldn't you have at least fallen for another vampire?" Rosalie demanded.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react badly, and I cant help who I fall in love with," I said, and went over to the couch, where Ed and Jazz were sitting. We started talking about relationships. That conversation, and the many it developed into, lasted through to the morning. We only stopped when Rose, Em, and I had to go to school. I drove my own car, and decided to pick Bella up, and give her a ride for school.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Some of my reviewers said they thought it was going a bit fast, but it's supposed to. It's supposed to be so perfect that it just kind of guides itself along. Oh, and the chapters aren't going to be repeated in Alice's POV every time, only when I need them.

CHAPTER 6 BellaPOV

I woke up late, and dressed quickly. I dashed down the stairs to the kitchen for a quick bowl of cereal.

"Morning, Bells," Charlie said from the hallway, where he was slipping on his jacket, and preparing to leave.

"Morning, Dad," I usually didn't call him Charlie to his face.

"I'm leaving, now. Have a good day," Charlie said, heading for the door.

"You, too," I called after him. I heard the door open, then, moments later, the sound of his cruiser pulling out of the driveway. I no longer had time to eat a bowl of cereal, so I returned the bowl I had got down back to the cabinet, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. To my surprise, Alice was leaning against the her car. Upon seeing me she opened the passenger side door.

"Good morning," she said, closing the last few feet between us, and hugging me tightly. Well, it was tight to me, but she probably only used a tiny portion of her strength. She kissed my cheek, and I kissed the op of her head.

"Good morning," I said back, never breaking our embrace.

"Did you sleep well, my love?" she asked, punctuating the end of her question by kissing me on the lips, but only for a fraction of a second.

"Very well. I had dreams of you," I told her, and it was absolutely true. "How about you?"

"Oh, crap. I didn't tell you, did I?' she asked, dropping her arms from around me, but catching my hands in hers.

"Tell me what?" I asked wearily. I was growing slightly weary of all the surprises, but I would put up with it all for Alice.

"I don't sleep. No vampires do," she said.

"You don't sleep?" I repeated slowly. "Ever?"

"Never," Alice said. "We should probably head to school now, unless you want to be extremely late."

"Yeah, we should go," I said vaguely, my mind stuck on the fact that she doesn't sleep.

Alice got in and sped (literally) to school. When we got there, she squeezed my fingers gently (she had been holding my hand since she had gotten in the car), and said, "I'll see you at lunch." I squeezed back, and we got out. Alice insisting on holding my door open for me again. No one noticed us as I got out. I went to walk to my first class, and was surprised to see Alice by my side.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"I'm walking you to class. It's proper girlfriend manners, you know," she said, quietly, so no one could hear her, except me. Alice held the door to the class open for me, when we reached it. I think she was making a habit of holding, every single door I had to go through, open for me. We said bye and I walked into class. My only 'friend' in this class was Eric, so I didn't have to worry about too much talk. In my second class (Alice had shown up outside my first, and walked me to my second), however, I wasn't so lucky. Jessica was in that one. I was hoping I could put off talking to her for a while, but the teacher gave us a free day. '_They always seem to have the worst timing when it comes to giving free days_,' I noted.

"Why didn't you call me last night?" Jess asked.

"I lost your number," I stated the first excuse that came to mind. Luckily, it was a good one.

"Oh, so what happened?" Jess asked eagerly.

I quickly thought of something to tell her. "She had to re-schedule, because of some kind of family thing," I mumbled. It wasn't as good as my first excuse had been, but it would have to do.

"Oh," was all Jess said in return. I went through the rest of the day (spending lunch and gym with Alice) without any more problems.

Alice came to my house after school that afternoon. As it was a Friday, we were planning on asking Charlie if she could spend the night (I was going to introduce her as my friend). Charlie was in a fairly good mood, when he got home from work, and smelt his favorite fish (that's what I cooked for dinner that night).

"Dad, this is my friend Alice. Alice this is Dad," I said, gesturing between the two. Charlie took an immediate liking to her, and I couldn't blame him. Who wouldn't?

"It's nice to meet you, Alice. You can call me Charlie," he said, waving his hand in a gesture of greeting.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Charlie," Alice said with a small smile. Even that small smile was dazzling.

Charlie and I ate dinner (Charlie only protesting slightly when Alice said she didn't want anything), and when I was finished, and Charlie was reaching for seconds, I asked him about Alice spending the night.

"Dad, can Alice spend the night?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "There's blankets in the closet at the top pf the stairs, you could fix up the couch."

"No, I think my bed's big enough for the two of us. What do you think?" I replied.

"It's up to you two," Charlie said.

"Okay, well. I'm tired, so I'm going to go get ready for bed," I told him, faking a yawn for good effect.

"Night, Bells," he said. I went up stairs to find Alice already in my bed. I grabbed my nightgown off the floor, and changed, my back to her, blushing furiously.

I quickly climbed in my bed and Alice pulled the covers over me. She kissed me on the forehead., and made to go sit in he chair that was in the corner of my room. I stopped her by catching her elbow. I knew she could have pulled free if she wanted, but she didn't.

"Lay with me?" I asked quietly. I really didn't want to be by myself, and, honestly, I was afraid she would disappear; she was just too perfect.

"Sure," Alice said plopping, ever gracefully, down next to me. She just laid there, and I snuggled up against her, my head resting on her chest. I sighed, and easily slipped into unconsciousness.

The next morning I was woke by the sound o an angel's voice. Thinking I must still be dreaming, I said the first words that came to my mind.

"I love you," I mumbled. I heard Alice chuckle, but a smile spread across her face.

"I love you, too. You are my life, you are my everything," she professed., and sounded truthful. She pressed her mouth to mine, and I savored the sweet flavor of her mouth.

"You're mine, too," I told her a few minutes later, after we broke apart. There was a bang in the kitchen below.

"Oh, crap, Charlie!" I exclaimed. I had been so caught up in the moment I'd forgotten about Charlie. '_What if he'd walked in on this?_" I didn't even want to imagine that.

"It's okay. He's not going to come up here; I'd know," Alice said, winking. All the same, I got up, and dressed.

"Charlie is going fishing today. What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Uh… I don't know. What do you want to do?" I countered. I had no

idea what Alice and I could do.

"Well, I need fresh cloths, so why don't we go to my house for a bit? You can meet the rest of my family," she suggested.

"I don't know. What if they don't like me?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't worry Bella. They'll like you," she said, kissing my forehead.

"Okay," I agreed, after a minute or two.

"Let's go," Alice said, heading down the stairs.

"Now? We have to leave right now?" I asked, unable to keep the sheer terror out of my voice.

"Yes, now get your butt down here," Alice called from the kitchen. I got up and headed down the stairs, too. I was still worried, though, ad that must have shown on my face.

"It's going to be fine Bells," Alice said, grabbing my hand in hers, and gently leading me out to her car. She held the door open for me, as always.

"Why do you do that?" I asked, after she had started the car, and was speeding toward her house. I had finally given up on getting her to slow down, so I just dealt with it.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Hold doors open for me."

"I do it for the same reason that I walk you to class; it's proper

manners," she said.

"What's with all the manners, though?" I asked, not really caring about the answer anymore; I just wanted something to distract me from the fact that I was about to meet Alice's family.

"Carlisle is a great teacher. After having spent years with him, I can't help it. It would feel wrong not to," she replied, turning onto a long driveway lined by trees.

I couldn't answer. I was focusing on not having a full blown panic attack. I couldn't believe I'd actually agreed to this. When we got closer to the house, I felt a strange wave of calm wash over me. It didn't make sense, until I remembered what Alice had said last night. '_…Jasper can feel and influence the emotions around him_,' I remembered. It looked like he was messing with mine. I appreciated it, but it also annoyed me.

Alice got out, the moment we stopped, and held my door open, waiting for me to get out. She didn't rush me. She never did, really. I flashed her a nervous smile, as I took her hand. We walked toward the house, her never letting go of my hand.

"Hello, everyone," Alice said in a normal tone. It was as if they were right next to us, though I knew they were actually upstairs. Despite that, there was no doubt in my mind that they could hear us. In fact, Edward was probably hearing more of my speculating than he was intended to. I blinked, and a moment later five vampire were standing in front of me (not including the one beside me). I didn't notice that one was missing.

"Hello, Bella. I'm Carlisle. It's nice to finally meet you," said one that looked slightly older than the others, and had blond hair. He held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too," I mumbled quietly. I could be so shy sometimes.

"This is my wife Esme," Carlisle said, indicating the beautiful brunette he had his arm wrapped around.

"Oh, Bella, it's really wonderful to meet you," Esme gushed. "Do you mind if I hug you?" I was nervous, but I nodded, and she carefully wrapped her arms around me, and squeezed gently.

"Bella, this is Emmett and Rose. You remember them, right?" Alice asked, after Esme had let go, pointing to the pale couple (they were all pale) I'd noticed at school.

"Yes," I nodded.

"I've always wanted a little sister," Emmett said as a greeting. I looked at Alice questioningly.

"Technically Alice is older, so that means she's my big sister, even though she is a shortie," Emmett said, grinning. He was right about the shortie part. Emmett was 6'3" and when Alice stood next to him she really looked like a pixie. I smiled back at Emmett. I expected Rosalie to greet me, as the others had. She didn't. She just glared at me, and walked off, up the stairs. "Sorry, about her," Emmett said, before following her up the steps.

"And this is Jasper," Alice said, pulling me to face a tall blond vampire.

"Hello," he muttered through tight lips.

"Jasper is the newest to our veggie lifestyle, and has the hardest time with it," Alice explained to me, before she turned back to Jasper. "Jazz, where's Edward?"

"He went to hunt. He'll be back in a minute or two. In fact I hear him approaching, now," Jasper said, cocking his head to the left, a little.

Alice's face went blank, and her eyes unfocused. I started to freak, but Jazz told me she was just having a vision. A moment later she snapped out of it. By then, I could hear Edward's approach, even with my weak human ears. I had never heard a vampire make any noise when they were moving, so I assumed he was in a major rush, or something.

"Jazz, go out to the lawn and stop Ed from coming in. Bella, you're going to have to trust me okay?" Alice commanded Jasper before turning back to me. Jasper did what Alice told him without a question.

"Okay. Alice, I trust you. I trust you with my life," I told her.

"Good, because , right now, you're life is un danger. The only way to protect it is to do exactly what I tell you," Alice said quickly. My heart started pumping faster, at her words. "First, you need to try to calm down. That frantic heart of yours isn't helping," she said and I tried to calm myself. "Now, climb on my back. We have to run. You're Edward's singer," Alice said as I climbed on her back.

"Singers are a person whose blood calls to a vampire more than anyone else's," Alice explained, running through the forest. She was going, by my estimations, about two hundred and twenty mph. it was rather terrifying, but I didn't ask her to slow down.

"What did you have a vision of?" I asked, suddenly really scared. I tried to calm my heart; if Edward was following us then I had to try to make him not want to be there.

"In my vision, Edward caught your scent as he was coming into the house. He read our minds, and knew our moves. We couldn't stop him. He lost control of himself," she paused. "Bella, if I hadn't got you out of there, he would have killed you."

I didn't have a response to that. I just clung, helplessly, on her back in silence.

"Don't worry, Bells. I will do everything I can to help you," Alice said soothingly. The trees, already blurred, were starting to fuzz over. I was so tired. I guessed that, since I hadn't had much sleep the night before, I was more tired than usual. The gentle rocking motion wasn't helping either.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my words slurring from how tired I was. I was terrified, yet exhausted; it was a strange mix of emotions.

"I'm taking you to see some friends of my family. They live in Alaska. We're about halfway there," Alice said. I yawned.

"You sound tired. Go to sleep. I will wake you when we get there," Alice said, shifting me so that I was in her arms, in a cradle. I felt like a baby, but I didn't care. I smiled dreamily at her. She began to hum an unfamiliar, but beautiful tune. I sighed, and closed my eyes, forgetting why we were where we were.

Slowly, I felt myself drop to sleep, lulled by her beautiful voice, and the gentle rocking motion of her run.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry it's been so long! I just got my new laptop yesterday. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or put this story on alert!!

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting to put this in here, haven't I? Well, I do not own Twilight, nor do I want to.

Chapter 7 of The Mall.

Bella's POV

Te next time I woke, it was to bright light. I rolled, and realized I wasn't in my bed. There were too many covers. I opened my eyes, and saw Alice's smiling face inches from my own. I felt a wave of warmth and happiness when I saw her, but it faded quickly, when I remembered the previous night's events.

Alice must have noticed some small change in my expression, because her smile faded.

"What's wrong, Bella?" she asked worriedly. I could tell she thought she'd done something wrong.

"Edward," was all I said in reply. I was worried about what was going to happen to me when we went back. I shuddered to even think about what could happen to Alice if she tried to protect me.

"Don't worry, Bells. We're going to stay away for a few days while he hunts, and we'll go back on Tuesday. He should be able to handle him," Alice said, her voice turning hard and cold on the last sentence. Her face, usually so open and radiant turned stone hard and had a dangerous look on her face that sent shivers down my spine. I n longer worried about her not being able to handle him; for some reason I was suddenly sure she would destroy anyone and anything that even _thought_ about hurting me.

"Thanks Alice," I said, my smile slipping back on my face, as I slide my arms around her waist. She drew my closer and pressed her lips to mine, muttering against them, "I will never let anything hurt you, Bella."

"I know," I responded quietly, but I knew she could hear me. I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, and looked questioningly at Alice.

"That's Tanya you're hearing. This is her house. She lives here with her sisters, they happen to be the friends I told you about last night. She thinks you're just a human that I had to save from Ed, so be careful what you say around her," she breathed in my ear so quietly I almost thought I could've imagined it except she was suddenly across the room, sitting in a chair. Less than a millisecond later, the door banged open, and a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde curls charged into the room. She flashed me a bright smile, before wishing me a good morning in a cheerful voice, which I had to listen very closely to to hear the sarcasm in it. She twirled to face Alice.

"So, how's Ed, and everyone?" she asked, dropping the sarcasm and looking completely at ease.

"They're good," Alice replied in a voice that sounded cheerful to the untrained ear, but knowing her the way I did, I could hear the tight, slightly defensive edge to it.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Tanya directed a Alice before turning to face me. "Does the human need anything?"

Before I could answer Alice told her to get me a candy bar. I guess she thought sugar would do me some good. In a flash Tanya was down the stairs and into her fridge, and back with a snickers bar. She handed it to me without a word. I tore into it hungrily.

The next events happened so suddenly, that I'm still not sure what happened. I felt a slight burning on my finger, and looked down to see a small slice from the wrapper. I heard a hiss and looked up to see Tanya's eyes completely black, her body tense. Alice pulled me behind her at the same time Tanya leapt at me. Tanya lands, her mouth snapping closed on the exact spot where my neck had been less than a second before. She turned quickly, but Alice, as tiny as she was, was faster. Alice flung her into the wall and was on her in a second. Alice wrapped her hands tightly around Tanya's neck.

"If I have to kill you, I will," Alice's tone was not loud, but had a quiet, dangerous edge to it that made me want to jump out the window, and made Tanya flinch. There was still a strange glow to Tanya's eyes, but she slumped forward, and held her hands up in surrender.

"What's so special about her?" Tanya asked the moment Alice released her, and she regained her breath.

"I love her."

AN: Sorry it's so short but I'm sick as hell. I have the flu or something, I dunno.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. (I finally remembered to put that in there)

The Mall Ch.8

"What?!" Tanya blurted, her eyes widening in surprise.

"You heard me, so _back off_," Alice snarled. Tanya lurched back a step, pure fear in her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt her. You should have told me, and this whole situation could've been avoided," she said as she slowly backed out of the room.

"Good. Just keep you're distance," Alice warned, walking over to me, and sliding her arm around my waist. She pressed her lips lightly to my ear.

"I will. I'll tell the others, too. Unless you'd like to," Tanya said, standing at the top of the stairs, but not moving.

"I won't leave her, and they aren't to come up, while we're here, so it would be best if you did. Also, pass on my warning. You know I wasn't joking," Alice said, her arm tightening slightly around my waist, hooking me closer. I was then pressed to her side, but she was leaning forward, so as to be closer to the door, and the nearest threat (Tanya).

"Okay," Tanya said, disappearing down the stairs quickly enough for her to blur completely out of my vision. It was quite disorienting. I swayed, but didn't fall, because Alice's arm was still draped across my waist.

"So, what do want to do today?" Alice asked, flopping back onto the bed, pulling me with her. I didn't get hurt, when we fell, though, because Alice's arms shifted to make a cage harder than steel around me. All I felt was the cool, smoothness of her skin, and the soft tickle of the silk shirt she was wearing, before we hit the feather mattress, and silk sheets.

It was a four-poster bed made of dark oak wood, with black pillows, and covers. There was black lace falling gently around it from the posters. It was the most comfortable bed I've ever felt.

"What is there to do?" I asked. I mean, I'd never been in Alaska before.

"Let's go shopping!" Alice enthused, sounding for all the world like a little kid that had been promised candy.

"Is that all you ever do?" I asked exasperatedly. I hated shopping, but Alice seemed to live in the stores, or malls.

"Pretty much. When you're immortal you tend to acquire a lot of money, and boredom, so I get rid of both," Alice explained in a tone she would have used when talking to a three year-old, but her warm smile softened the blow, and kept me from being hurt.

"Okay," I caved. I couldn't say no to Alice.

"Yay!" she squealed happily, bouncing on the bed, and clapping her hands together. "I love you _so much_!!!"

"I love you, too, or I wouldn't have agreed to this," I said in a mock aggravated tone.

AN: That's all I've got for now. Thanks for all the reviews, and your concern for my health! For everyone who cares, I went to the doc's and I have swine flu, but it's mild so I'll be okay. Thanks, again for all the reviews!


	9. End Note

I've wrote all I'm going to on this story. I might write a sequel if enough people want me to, and if I have enough time. There will be a poll on my profile; please vote.


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